Arsenal Win League in the Last Minute of the Season

By GLEN LEVYTuesday, June 16, 2009

The end to a sporting season does not get more dramatic than this: Arsenal (best known back then for grinding out dull 1-0 wins) needed to win at Liverpool (best known back then for putting all teams to the sword via their scintillating style of play) by a two goal margin if they wanted to win the soccer league championship in England. A tight first half ended goalless. Pushing forward after the restart, striker Alan Smith nodded Arsenal into an improbable lead. But entering the final minute, they still needed that elusive second goal: launching a last ditch attack, the ball fell to midfielder Michael Thomas who calmly slotted it into the net as if he were playing in a practice match. "It's up for grabs now!" screamed the commentator as Thomas burst through. It certainly was.